Mirena and sleep

SURGERY! The Mirena went through my uterine wall and into my abdominal cavity. After about a week I couldn't handle the pain anymore so I went in to see my OB. We did an ultrasound and she said she could see it but could feel it inside...I ended up getting an MRI that day and surgery that night to remove it... :(

Hi, I am on the mirena and I have been on ther for almost 2years. At first everything was fine. I don't have a cycle but that didn't bother me cause all the BC I've been on is like that. But know no sleep it's like I sleep but I am not sleep. I have to take Tylenol PM. My sex drive is horrible I can't even get into it or can't get wet either. And especially the weight gain that I experience I'm a person that hardly ever gain weight. I talk with my physician and said that it could be my thyroids I went through all the test everything seems to be fine. I was also thinking about going to a urology doctor.I scared to get the mirena out I have 2 kids and been with my significant other for 9 years. I want to get off but I don't know what else to get on. I have been on everything you can think of and I am not trying to have anymore kids. THIS IS HORRIBLE I MA TO YOUNG FOR THIS

Has anybody experienced excessive dreaming with mirena? I had mine put in about 3 months ago and the night it was put it I had trouble sleeping, I felt "buzzed" all night. Ever since then I dream like crazy every single night and I never feel rested. Have been thinking about removing it if this is what is causing all of the sleep issues. Thanks!

I'm 48 and got a Mirena put in last January at the suggestion of my doctor. I'd been having menstrual migraines and we thought that a steady dose of hormones might help with the dips and prevent my headaches. Well, it has helped some, as the headaches don't come every month anymore, however, I do still get them, so it hasn't really done what we hoped. Add to that my (growing!) list of symptoms and something has to be done. I am very active. I do Taekwondo 4x a week and was working out 5x a week this summer in preparation for my black belt test. You would think that I'd lose weight with the workouts I've done for the past 10 months, but no, my weight has increased over 10lbs! And it's not muscle, either: My breasts, waist, hips and thighs have all increased. I feel bloated, tired to the point of exhaustion even after 8 hours of sleep, and all of my joints are achy. The brain-fog has gotten so bad that I've had to go back on ADD meds to try to maintain my focus at work. I'd been doing my workouts for 3 years prior to getting the Mirena, and I never felt tired the way I feel it now! I'm seeing my doctor next month and this thing is out of here!

Wow glad I'm not alone. Had mine inserted after giving birth to my first child, 8 weeks later. Insertion was terrible, awful, all others have described. I'm breastfeeding so my doctor said I could bleed for up to 3 months on and on, and it was about that until it stopped. In the beginning i felt as though it was tickling me which could have been in my head but that's what I remember. But recently Ive been having horrible cramping that seems totally random. Insane mood swings. One minute I will depressed and thinking to myself do I really love my husband and feeling my life is meaningless to the next minute wanted to have crazy wild sex. My husband is starting to worry about my crazy mood swings and depressions. I have nothing to be depressed about my life is great but I continually find myself feeling that way. It's terrible. Not to mention I can't sleep anymore hence it's 4am and I researching mirena side effects. I can't wait to get this thing out of me. My advice my first child was a surprise and I really really can't afford another kid any time soon, but this mirena crap ain't worth it, AT ALL. Beware do not get it!

I think that I finally figured out why I am so physically and mentally sick. I received the mirena almost 2 years ago and I was a true advocate of the product...I love it!! About 6 months ago I started to have panic attacks and anxiety (i have never experienced this before) it was so bad that I barely made it to work everyday and could no longer handle being out in public. My PCP placed me on different types of anti-depressants (which made me depressed). Currently I take Budeprion which has decreased my anxiety but I do not feel like myself. The past month and a half I wake up with the feeling of morning sickness (the numerous pregnancy test say that I am not), have headaches, low energy levels and little motivation. I was pretty sure that my hormones levels must be "off" but my PCP and OB insisted that there is no way that my symptoms have anything to do with my hormones because my child is almost 2 and I am 29 years old. I have gone through numerous tests, scans etc.to find the cause of why I feel so awful and all tests came back Fine. After reading the stories on this website I now know that I do not need anti-depressants and I am not going crazy...I just need to get the Mirena removed.

i'm so glad i found this site. i cant sleep without meds. my headache is constant. the cramps for no reason. the nausea every time i eat. i cant lose weight and my breast are always sore. i'm getting this thing out of me asap.

This is my 2nd time with Mirena. The first time I had no problems and kept it in for 4 years until it was time for another baby. My baby is now 17months old and I've had Mirena for 3 or 4 months now. I hate it. I'm having severe mood swings, crying fits and depression. I haven't been able to eat well or sleep well. I'm considering having my tubes tied after having this Mirena removed. I'm calling my doctor first thing Monday morning to get this taken out. Does anyone else experience severe mood swings as well?

I had my mirena for one year...I had it removed this year, while I had the mirena I keeped a headache & some lite cramping and my face broke out something awful,and I was tired ALL the time like I just couldn't get enough sleep. I didn't have a period at all, thats what I loved about the mirena. My sex drive was normal,...Ive had my mirena removed for 6 weeks now and about a week ago Ive started having AWFUL lower back pains and my periods are CRAZY.....an most the time i feel like i am going crazy lol...anyone else having lower back pains after having the mirena removed?

My name is Amanda, I'm 21 yrs old, engaged and having some problems:
I had mirena put in December, 2008 and had a horrible first night. My cramps were terrible for at least 5 hrs. After that I had no problems other than really odd cycles (on for 10 days, off for 3 months, on for 4 days, etc)
I hadn't thought my other problems were due to this iud but now think otherwise and am seriously wanting it removed. I've been very irritable, bloated, exhausted, can't sleep at all at night until 6 am then finally sleep till 1 pm... I have absolutely NO SEX DRIVE (odd because my fiancé were very happy with our sex lives , now it's maybe once if that).
My fiancé says this is a very good form of B.C. Because we never have sex... Hahaha. I don't have any cramps but do get unusual headaches (right temple, extremely sharp pain) ...
If i knew for sure that these symptoms weren't from mirena, I'd keep it... But now am going to get it removed and get back on the shot...
Let me know if anyone has anything to help me out with the sex drive thing!!!

Does it hurt to get mirena removed?

Will my sex drive return?????
I'm only 21 and am getting married in sept 2010 (hopefully ... Haha) ...
Thanks, A.

I have had several things but am not sure if they are due to the mirena but I have always been good tell I got mirena
here are the symptoms I have

severe bleeding 8 months straight
head aches
increased appetite
weight gain
dizziness
faint
depressed
really moody
mean
angry
tired extremely
cant sleep well
memory loss
memory problems
blurred vision
and recently extremely painful sex
it hurt so bad It was all I could do not to cry
it felt as though I was in labor
I did not have the heart to tell my husband i was in pain cause we rarely have sex due to the constant bleeding
it is the best birth control I have ever heard of cause you cant have sex if your bleeding all the time. I want to remove it but getting a hold of my doctor is like a joke and I don't know what to do cause I need my memory I have a family that needs me as i used to be not the mean upset all the time me.

Hey Gals,
I had my mirena put in in February 2009. I just got it out three weeks ago.
When I gave birth to my son I weighed 230, having gained 50 pounds during the pregnancy. Two months after giving birth I was down to 190 and losing weight fine. All throughout the pregnancy and afterwards I was eating healthy and exercising, so for people who say its just because we eat poorly and don't change our diet after we give birth, thats not always the case.
Then I got Mirena put in. I gained all that weight back, horrible mood swings where I would start snapping at my husband over inconsequential things. I started getting really bad headaches, (I've never had migraines before, but I'm sure it was pretty close). Constant fatigue; I was always tired, no matter how much sleep I got and never had any energy to play with my son. I also hadn't had a period since February of 2008, just a little spotting after getting the Mirena put in. Not to mention discomfort during intercourse, which just made the act seem unpleasant for both of us.
Now that I've got it out I've lost 15 pounds, I no longer have headaches, All of my energy is back and I'm not as tired as I was before, and I finally got my period! I have never been more excited to have it than before.
I guess it works for some people, but with it and the hormones it was secreting, my body couldn't handle it. I've tried other BC's before too and didn't have any problems.

Hi I am having the same side effects that I have read from others! My Mirena was inserted in 6/08. Slowly but surely all the side effects have appeared. Mood swings, oily skin, acne, weight gain, and the worse of all, the hair loss. I have always had thick long hair! My thyroid has always been a problem and my family doctor said my constant thyroid fluctuations may be the reason for my hair loss! It is now 1yr and 4mos. since I've had the Mirena inserted and I have lost over 50% of my hair! Balding diffusely, but majority on the crown of my head. It is to the point of severe depression I do not even want to go out anywhere, because of the embarrassment. I am scheduled to have the Mirena removed this coming Monday! I am worried that if this is the reason for my hair loss that it may not regrow! I've read that once the hair follicles die they do not rejuvenate. Has anyone gone through this same process, did your hair regrow? I'm am literally having anxiety attacks thinking about my outcome! Can't sleep, crying constantly, totally preoccupied with the thought! Driving my family nuts with constant lack of enthusiasm for life!

I am so relieved reading these messages. I thought I was going crazy alone by myself!!! I got my mirena in March 2009 and I was in love with it for a month. Shortly after around the end of April I started to feel crazy and go through these mood swings. I thought it was cause I have twin toddlers and im unemployed but the symptoms got progressively worse. Now its Oct my boyfriend is sick of me, the headaches and mood swings wont stop and I CANT sleep without Tylenol PMs. Im so excited that I have an answer now!!! Next step is trying to get it removed. Thank you ladies!!! Your voices have given me hope for mine and my family's future!!!

I had the Mirena placed in 2004 after the birth of my second child. I had weight gain, mood swings, hungry all the time (i would sleep eat), depressed, joint pain and was tired all the time. I eventually got it removed 3 years later and my symptoms got even worse. I was severely depressed, my sleep pattern was abnormal, my mind was fuzzy, couldn't concentrate, joint pain worsened and had absolutely no energy. I started itching and having tingling sensations and "bug biting" pain/sensation especially in my extrementies. It was weird. It stimulated a hormonal response that affected my central nervous system. I know it did. I will never be convinced otherwise. It was a shock to my system. There needs to be studies done in this. I finally drug myself to the my general practitioner 3 months later and I thought that I would get admitted in a psych ward. I was hardly functioning. No kidding. I had no reason to be depressed. My life was better than ever. I was not admitted, but I was put through the ringer for tests and my healthcare bills became outrageous. I had tons of blood work, sleep studies, saw a neurologist, had a myelogram, mri, and put on several medications which added to the weight gain. It has been almost 2 years now and I am just now starting to feel like myself. All of the tests were inconclusive. The neurologist dx was something neuromuscular. I am not on any medication now, but am not 100%. But I know that damage was done and I am older. So I'm afraid that I will never feel great again. I wish I had never had the Mirena. Never. I know I miscarried once and suspect that it happened twice. I didn't have a period for those 3 years but it was not worth it. This product should be recalled.

Hi, I am a mother of 2, and not quite 23 years old and got the Mirena inserted at my 6 week check up after having my second. I read all the literature that the Dr. gave me and I was sure that Mirena was the right thing for me (no where in the brochures did I read anything about the symptoms Ive read about here or anywhere else on the internet). I started having incredibly horrible mood swings, bloating, fatigue, nausea (sooo bad, every day) back pain, neck pain, no sex drive (!!!), depressed, lazy, headaches (to the point where I thought my head was going to explode), constantly hungry, acne, smelled maple syrup constantly, complaining all the time about everything, weight gain (only 7 lbs but I just had a baby, I need to lose weight, and I'm nursing),chest pain, and some other symptoms but the most important one is the stomach pain i was having. The pain in my stomach felt like a knife, and I kept having pain in my right side. So after a few days of this pain I went to the dr. he ordered an ultrasound of my abdomen and I am scheduled to get that done Wednesday. My doctor thinks that I may have gallbladder disease or something else seriously wrong with me that we suspect is induced by the Mirena. Keep in mind that I've had this thing in me for about 4 months!!! So after my doctors appointment I typed into google "side effects from Mirena" and Omg, I wish that I had done that before I got the thing inserted, those brochures about the Mirena make it seem like a Godsend and I am all for a lawsuit due to the problems I am having and the depression Ive felt. My 3 year old has suffered from my mood swings, every time id feel it coming I had to make her go to her room :( that poor girl deserves to have a mother that is not so depressed and ill that she can actually play, and both of them deserve that really, and im doing the best I can.... anyways I removed it myself yesterday, i had a hard time finding it but I took it out and I feel as if a huge burden has been lifted, EXCEPT I have been cramping very bad, spotting and incredibly sick, i also read about this thing called "the mirena crash" no matter how long you've had it in, if the hormones were in your system then you are effected and can feel very ill from it (and it can happen to women who had no problems while on it at all, even after 5 yrs). Im hoping that I have nothing wrong at my doctors appt on Wednesday when I get the ultrasound, and it may just be a cyst, turns out that is a side effect of mirena as well, that and bleeding the first several months (oh yeah, I did for about 2 months maybe 10 weeks altogether) Im also hoping that my daughter whom I am nursing is not sick as well :/

oh and for anybody out there thinking that the only women gaining weight are fat to begin with, well I am usually 105 lbs, after my baby I weighed 145, lost some weight, went down to 130ish gained it all back then some, losing weight is easy for me because I diet and exercise like I should, now I am doing all that and nursing a child.... and hello weight, when it really should be goodbye... well goodbye mirena I WONT miss you!!!!

I have had the Mirena IUD for 2 and a half months now and have been bleeding since. I have never been so depressed in my life. I cry for no reason at all and want to sleep all the time. I am very mood and have a migraine about every other day. I have never had to deal with acne in my life and now I have a pizza face that will not clear up with anything I try. I have very strong lower back pain 24/7. I am always bloated, have gained 5 pounds so far, and have discomfort during intercourse. My OB keeps telling me that in is in place and to give my body time to adjust. I can not wait to get this thing out of me and would not recommend it to anyone.

I just had mirena removed today!! Everything was fine for the first nine months. Then i started feeling like i was pregnant and bloated and sick to my stomach all the time. It was great not having any periods until three weeks ago i started spotting and it never stopped. I was having breast pain and i even found a lump. I had to go for a mamo and ultra sound and nothing came back abnormal but what the heck is going on with my body?
I started reading the posts on here and called my doctor right away and he removed it today. I am so tried and i never sleep anymore. and i cry all the time. I am so upset i just want my body back!!! Thank you for all posting on here. I am hoping that my body returns back to normal soon. I had my tubes tied 13 years ago and was hoping never to be on birth control again but i was to control my periods each month. I also found out i know have a ovarian cyst. Is it due to the mirena? to to sure but having surgery soon for that. This whole thing is crazy!!!
Please really think about it before you put it in. I have never felt this bad in my life. I hope soon to get my life back. I have fell in to a deep depression and i need to get out of it soon. If you have any of the side effects please get rid of it. Thanks

It has been fine for a year and all of a sudden im getting spots around my mouth which i never had before and terrible insomnia cause buy hot flashes all though the night. I never had any trouble sleeping before. I now have anxiety also because of not sleeping. The mirena was really good for a year but now i think my hormones are all over the place. Im having it out on on the weekend and i will report back with the results. I heard it takes a month for your hormones to return back to normal, i hope i can sleep before that as i feel terrible. Also my hair has become thinner i don't know if this is because of the coil.
El x

I too have experienced chest pain/heart pains after the insertion of Mirena IUD. I had it inserted 2 weeks ago and one week ago is when I started experiencing the pains. I also have pain in my left shoulder and arm and my back. My doctor's Medical assistant said the Mirena is not causing the chest/heart pains and and on-call doctor said he didn't think it was likely either but I read all the comments on here and also feel that I know my own body so I called the Dr today to have it removed. First appointment they could get for me was this Thursday but I did not want to wait so I called back 3 times to see if my Dr had any cancellations and third time was a charm because I go in tomorrow to get it removed. I just hope that is in the right place and is easy to remove! I will update. Also I printed out 15 of these 33 pages on here and am taking them with me tomorrow. I also reported my side effects to the FDA.

I had Mirena inserted July 2009 and I have been spotting off and on ever since, which my doctor told me would happen for about 6 months or so. The insertion itself was painless, I barely noticed that my doctor did it. I don't know if I just have a high tolerance for pain or if I just have a great doctor, because my experience sounds nothing like some of the other women.

As far as other symptoms, I think so far everything is going good and I am very pleased with it. My periods are lighter, but the spotting off and on is getting a little annoying. I think so many people are quick to blame something on their health problems,and not look at the big picture.

Mirena== good choice for me!

I really wish I would have found this site before making the decision to have Mirena inserted. I had it put in yesterday, September 24,2009. It was the most painful things I have experienced. My Gyn had told me that I would have "period type camps" for a couple of hours after insertion. Well I spent my entire day on the couch with a heating pad on high and 800MG of Motrin. None of this touched the pain. I ended up having to take a sleeping aid so that I could go to sleep and hoped I would wake up the next morning feeling much better. Well I woke up this morning and the cramping was not as bad, but still more than "period type cramps". I also noticed that I was having very bad lower back pain. I was cleaning my house and every time I moved the pain would be stabbing. I have not spotted at all yet, but I know it has only been a day. Today I was working and noticed that my right arm went numb from the elbow to my finger tips and my eyes seem very tired.
I am a little upset because the Mirena booklet did not discuss any of these side effects. And also my Gyn had made it sound really promising because I cannot take regular birth control pills. I think I will be calling them on Monday and asking to have it removed. I really wish I would have done more research before having this done.

oh yea to add on to my other post I have also had
low grade fever, cant sleep, very weak, acne, hair loss, chills, hot flashes, I am only 25. it is possible that the mirena caused an infection, I have all the symptoms of a infection not sure what kind yet though.

oh yea to add on to my other post I have also had
low grade fever, cant sleep, very weak, acne, hair loss, it is possible that the mirena caused an infection, I have all the symptoms of a infection not sure what kind yet though.

I've had my Mirena for almost 3 years now, and I'm contemplating having it out. I didn't know that some of my symptoms could be linked to it, but after reading this, I have the same story as many of you.
It's been awesome having no periods, and it's nice not to worry about birth control, but I'm not sure if it's worth the side effects.
I've recently had such bad anxiety and depression that I've been seeing a therapist and have been prescribed antidepressants (I am not taking any right now because I did not like the side effects of Lexapro). There is really nothing in my life right now that should be depressing me (just got married, doing my "dream job"), so perhaps the Mirena is to blame.
I've also had a terrible time sleeping lately (for the past several months). I used to sleep like a baby. Now, I'm beginning to have to rely on sleeping drugs, and I hate that.
I've always suffered from lower back pain, but you'd think my new memory foam mattress would be helping. It's not.
I've also been super tired lately, and have had bouts of random nausea. Strangely, I also cannot handle my caffeine anymore. I used to drink tea all day, but now one cup is my limit before my head feels like it's going to explode.
Besides all that, probably the worst part is my dead sex drive. I KNOW there used to be a time when I wanted to have sex, but I can barely remember it. Being 26 and newly married is a shitty time to have no sex drive. Besides my not being thrilled about sex in the first place, it sometimes hurts! It's like the Mirena is stabbing me!

All of my symptoms have been around for approximately the past year. When I first had the Mirena put in, it hurt like HELL! I have never had a baby, so I'm sure it hurt extra for me to have it put in, but I swore right then and there that I'd never get another one put in, no matter how well it worked. A few weeks later, during one of my last periods, I passed a HUGE blood clot. Like, the size of a walnut. I mentioned this to my doctor several times, but it never seemed to concern her. The periods eventually went away (yes!!), and everything seemed to be good for several months before my current symptoms began showing up. I'm wondering why I would just be seeing the symptoms now (they started about a year after I had it put in), and not right after insertion.
Luckilly, I have not had any problems with weight gain. I've always lost a lot of hair around the house, so I'm not sure I can blame that on the Mirena. I did have some weird acne, though, in places I've never had it before (back, chest).

This thing hurt soooo much to have it put in; I'm wary of having it taken out now. I hear that it doesn't hurt nearly as much to have it taken out. Can anyone confirm this?

Also, a side note: my friend had one for a couple of years before it became lodged in her uterus and she had to have it surgically removed.

I got Mirena in Oct. 2008 because I wanted a simpler way to birth control. From day one I began to have problems. I had severe abdominal pain off and on, sometimes even waking me up at night. My face broke out severely and never clears up. I could not sleep restfully and experienced night sweats and mood swings. I have also put on about 15 pounds and have not changed my eating habits. I finally said enough is enough and had it removed September 1, 2009. I feel better and sleep better but I'm still having problems with acne. I still cannot get it under control. I still fell like I made the best decision to have it removed. If I would have found this website early, I would have never got it in the first place.

I had a mirena fitted twice with no significant problems except weight gain but I now have a 6 month old baby and had my 3rd mirena removed this morning.I had my second one removed in April last year when we decided we would like to try for baby no3 after a 12 year gap.I fell pregnant in the July and had lost 10lbs in the three months after removal without trying.I felt calm,slept better and had loads of energy.I then progressed with my pregnancy and continued to lose weight as was very sick so by the time my daughter was born I had lost 35lbs in total.i then lost a further 10lbs in the six weeks following her birth and felt great,loads of energy,my skin looked fantastic and was really happy.
I decided to have my 3rd mirena inserted just after my six week postnatal check as I hate heavy periods etc,well that was at the beginning of June.As soon as it was inserted my stomach started to bloat and it looked like I was 6 months pregnant,I have experienced extremely heavy prolonged bleeding with clots.I had phoned my doctor 3 times over the last 3 months and they said to give it time,it was the fact I had not long had a baby and give it 6 months.I have also gained 14lbs in the 3 months,my skin has broken out,my hair is thinning and have really bad mood swings,anxiety and restless sleep and I know I don't have post-nantal depression as had that 16 years ago and know the difference.
I am so glad i took the decision to have it removed and feel 100 times better already knowing this thing is no longer inside me.I definitely know this mirena has caused all these side effects now.Why do the doctors not listen to us.

I got mine August 2008. I have periods that last for 10 days straight. Spotting in between. No sex drive and very painful intercourse if I do have sex. Severe lower back pain and weakness. I don't think the Mirena is contributing to my short temper..but I think the bleeding, lack of sleep, and constant pain from mirena is causing me emotional problems. Plus my husband is very insensitive and clueless and thats makes it worse. He is only concerned about not getting enough Sex and apparently cares nothing for my physical aliments. I want this out!

I had my Mirena put in August of 2008. To start with I thought it was great. Now insertion was worse than giving birth to my two year old but I figured that was normal. The first few months were great. I have not had a period since having it. I LOVE this fact but I would rather have a monthly than have all my other symptoms. I am ALWAYS tired no matter how much I sleep; I have terrible headaches verging on migraine level. I have horrible mood swings. One minute I am fine and the next I feel like a mad woman. I feel horrible because my two year old see’s this and I know she does not understand. I have terrible bouts with depression. Sometimes they last for days. I have gained 25 lbs, now I have always been heavy but when I work out 5 days a week and eat VERY healthy and am still gaining weight there has got to be a problem. I am almost 30 and I now have acne like a teenager. And I think the WORST side affect of them all is NO SEX DRIVE. This has seriously hurt my marriage. For a long time I have just put much of this off as being the mother of a toddler but now I am not so sure. I cannot take it anymore and have an appointment scheduled for October 1st to have it removed. I will update as soon as it is out.

I am 25, I had my daughter last October 2008 and had Mirena inserted December 2008 at my 8 week postpartum appt. Everything was fine for about 6 months... It is now September 2009 and since July I have been having EXTREME hair loss (I already have gone through the post preggo hair loss 3 months after giving birth), anxiety feeling in the chest, crazy discharge, erratic periods, no sex drive, moody, ACNE on face chest and back (and I NEVER have acne). So my annual physical was yesterday, so I tell my doc about all these symptoms and he thinks "thyroid" so they pull 4 viles of blood. Then, I get home and I googled "Mirena and hair loss" and here's this site! SO, I called my OBGYN this afternoon and tell her Im losing my hair plus the other symptoms I listed above and she says "Yep its the Mirena, the same thing happened when I had it too and it stopped when I took it out" So she told me to come in and they will remove it and try PARAGUARD - a NO hormone IUD that will bring me back to my "base" and I will start having one period a month (like your body is supposed to in my eyes) and no crazy side effects. I can not tell you how much better I feel that she said right away it was the Mirena. I have really not been feeling myself the past 2 months AND everyone in my household has noticed my hair ALL OVER THE PLACE and has asked me to ask the Doctor... so glad I did.

I wish I would have read these blogs before I decided to get the Mirena! I usually research everything but for some reason thought I didn't have to since my male obgyn said it was so great. I had it put in two weeks ago and am having it out this Thursday. Since it went in I have been bleeding, cramping severely enough to go to the ER, extreme faintness and dizziness, can't sit in any position without pain in pelvic area and it is not getting any better. I can't focus, work, sleep, nothing. I just want to feel normal again! I wish I would have researched before agreeing to do this! Not to mention the $250 I paid before seeing what insurance will cover and about 4 doctor visits and 1 er visit so far related to this! I'm not willing to ride it out any longer after reading other comments. I just hope it comes out easily!

UPDATE!! I had my evil IUD removed today and the hardest/worst part was conveniencing the Dr. I wanted it taken out! She kept telling me that my symptoms (headaches, achey all over,panic attacks, quick temper, high blood pressure,sinus infection,cant sleep at night,no desire for sex ) were NOT related to the IUD and I just spent a lot of money to have it inserted.......she would be glad to write me a script for Wellbutrin (sp?) to help with my "issues". I was even more upset when I asked if she had ever googled "Mirena side effects" and she just laughed at me asking me if thats where I got the idea to have it removed. I was very disappointed as this has been my gyn for the past 12+ years and with my family history of breast and ovarion cancer we have always been on the same page. Well, I asked her if she was refusing to remove because I would be glad to get another Dr. to do it and thats when she agreed. It only took a breif 10 seconds and it was out(didnt feel a thing) I instantly felt better but feel that was just because I felt like a huge burden had been lifted and now I can focus on getting back to my old self. I wish others the best of luck for what ever they decide but would encourage you take some kind of action if you feel there may connection to your health issues.

I forgot too add a few side effects:
memory issues (obviously), terrible night sweats, nausea (though not vomiting) and a constant kind of angry feeling to the point of not being able to even look at my fiancee (which is so unfair, because he's so supportive) and lack of patience with my baby which is scaring me.
Also restless legs and feeling tired all the time with out being able to sleep,
constantly hungry but I get bored of the flavours very quickly.

I want to thank all for your stories...
I thought that I was nuts, and could what I am going through from this "thing".
I have to say I was pt on the Mirena cuz I had horrible periods and last year I had a blood clot, which they said was from the pill...So with a lot of pressure from my doctor (felt she got a kick back with every sell) i got it..
Now i have had this thing for 6 months and i feel nothing, I wouldn't care less for nothing..I feel like I could slit my wrists, have NO sex drive, the weight gain is crazy ( look prago), have zitz like a teenager, cant sleep yet i am so tired..I thought I was crazy..
I can say I have not a lot of pain with cramping ( maybe cuz I don't care) and light periods, but last longer. so what can I do?

You just described everything that's been happening to me to a T! Except I've only had it in 11 months, my periods come completely randomly still, and range anywhere from barely there to torrential bleeding. My back pain has started to get to the point where curling up is the only thing that relieves it, and my face is breaking out so bad that I had a doctor think i had some wretched bacterial infection. I also have no energy, but yet can't seem to sleep. And have lost almost all motivation to do anything, at all. I thought I was going crazy or just maybe coming down with depression, but now I'm thinking that's not the case. I'm only 24 and haven't had the chance to have a family yet, but I think if I want that option in the future, Mirena has to go!

I had my mirena inserted on April 3rd 2009. 6 weeks later, my labial started to itch very bad and my usual moderate back pain condition worsen in a point that I had to see a doctor. I saw a gynecologist for the itching and he prescribed antibiotics ovule (Polygynax) which took care of the problem but the itching resumed a couple of weeks after. For the back pain I saw 3 different doctors and even went though physiotherapy and massage with no improvement. It occurred to me that the Mirena was the only new thing in my life and could be related to both back pain and itching. I searched the web and found that many women have had similar side effects. I then decided to have it removed and this was done on Aug 26 2009. The back pain is still there but not as bad as before since I can sleep through the night without waking up in pain. The Itching also is regressing. My doctor advised I go 3 months without birth control containing hormones, just to confirm that the mirena was really causing those side effects. I do hope my story helps someone out there...

I have had the Mirena for about 3 years now, I first started having noticeable symptoms about 6 months ago. I started having panic attacks out of left field. I am a very happy person, with a good life so I could not understand what was going on with me. I thought I was going crazy. My daughter had to go with my mother for about 2 weeks as I didn't want her to see me the way I was: having panic attacks, paranoia, depression, crying fits. I was put on celexa to help these problems. It worked for the panic attacks, but I'm still moody and can only sleep if I take a 2.0mg of klonopin. I have never had these problems before. I cannot say it was the mirena, but I doubt I have any other reason for it. I recently started getting really bad cystic acne on my face, chest, back, and even on my scalp. I have gained about 25 pounds and cannot get it off for the world. I only have one daughter and a lot of help from my husband and my mother, so I can't understand the feelings of fatigue that plague me. I have a horrible year. Just the anxiety and panic attacks alone have changed me completely. I thought I was abnormal and sometimes just wanted to die. I do feel better, but as I read, I wonder if taking it out will help with the weight, acne and fatigue as my other problems seem to have just vanished after only 2 weeks on celxa, which I thought strange but was thankful nonetheless. I spoke with my doctor today about removal and she gave me a rx for the acne and said we should think about it.... I think I'm all thought out.....

I love Mirena, I am 29 years old with two children, and I had mirena twice, I actually have less cramping than usual with mirena and my periods are lights and regular. I just had it removed and I am looking forward to conceiving again.Also, I am able to conceive right after I have it taken out, I don't have any spotting or pain after removal.

I am so glad I found this forum. I thought I was going nuts for the past few months I was on Mirena. I'm 31 years old and healthy. My daughter is 19 months old and I had Mirena put in back in Dec of 2008. Since I was BFing, I did not get a period until June. Since June, I've had cramping basically everyday, a few days a month I feel nauseous (which I've never had, even when I was pregnant), I'm hungry all the time, I'm exhausted all the time (even though my daughter sleeps through the night and I sleep 9-10 hours a night). My husband calls me lazy, but I swear it's the Mirena. I had more energy when my daughter woke me up all the time. I'm annoyed I'm not loosing any more weight since I force myself to go to the gym, but sometimes I feel like crap that it's hard to get a good workout. I also have zero sex drive. I called my doctors office about the cramping as a side effect 2 weeks ago, and the nurse said she never heard about it and would have the doctor call me. Of course, the doctor did not call me, so I just made an apt to get it out. The earliest apt I could get is in 11 days. I hope I last that long! I tried to pull it out myself but I can't feel the strings. I know remember my doctor saying she cut the strings. I was trying to just deal with the side effects since I love the effectiveness of the BC (I'm really fertile), but will take my chances with a pregnancy and use that as motivation for my husband to get snipped. To the rest of you out there, trust your instincts and if you notice something majorly wrong, don't let the doctors dismiss you.

Thank god for this web site.I got my mirena in march 2008. In November i quit smoking so i didn't realize the side effects were from this monster! i have..... headaches that feel like a brain freeze.... my feet hurt after walking thru mall so much i have to sit down while my guy shops! go figure. i cry and am paranoid... cant sleep well, numbness on right side mainly while sleeping. depressed and don't want to leave home. nightmares. and worst of all BACTERIAL INFECTIONS! there is a scent. very noticeable to me. so doctor is sending me for all kinds of pelvic exams. I told him what I've read, but of course THERE ARE SIDE EFFECTS TO ALL BC! Its coming out the 14th. cant wait. oh.... and zero, zilch, nada no sex desire drive or anything.

I am a 24 yr old mother of two, and my family is incredibly fertile, so I hav to be on BC. I had mirena put in last Friday at my six week postpartum appt. It was highly uncomfortable going in ( I am very sensitive though), and when I sat up I immediately asked the Doc if I was supposed to feel it in there. He said there was no way, and that should go away. I started spotting and continued to do so for two days, until I started bleeding HEAVY on the third day. My lower stomach and back have been killing me ever since. I have even resorted to taking my leftover pain pills from delivery! My sex drive dropped off immediately (very unlike me) and for the first time in my life I was really having "depression" symptoms. I am normally such a happy person. Needless to say I had it removed a week later (yesterday) and my libido returned that day, and I am my happy self again. I am still bleeding very heavy however, my uterus and back still ache and last night the pain was shooting all the way down my legs, so bad I couldn't sleep. I have some kind of nerve sensitivity disorder ( I feel things other people never feel). So I should have known better than to have some foreign object shoved inside my uterus. I couldn't be happier that it is out, and I cannot wait be back to "normal" again. I am happy for all the women it works for, but it sure seems like this is a big pain for a lot of women. I wish I had done my research first! BC pills it is for me!

Thank you GOD I found this site. I have been wondering now for a little over a year what the hell was wrong with me. I thought it might be some kind of post traumatic stress, and now Im seeing the crap they don't tell you in the commercial. There is no way in hell that woman in the mirena commercial could have done any moving and skiing and other crap she would have fallen over asleep in the middle of it. I HAVE BEEN EXHAUSTED everyday all day all I do is sleep. I go to work and I just want to sleep. Yeah GREAT BC you can't stay awake long enough to have sex, Not to mention your sex drive is gone. I have no desires at all. ugh getting this thing removed ASAP.

Everyone's posts have really helped me. I got Mirena inserted a year and a half ago right after my son was born. I thought it was the best option of BC because everyone was doing it. and only today I found out about it's symptoms from a friend. I am very moody and mean to my husband and son and I don't even know why. I have had HORRIBLE acne on my back and arms and sometimes my face.. It started out with just really oily skin like i could literally scrape off the oil with my nails and losing wads of hair with every shower. I thought it was my water and I even went out and got a shower head water filter and started using organic shampoo and soaps but the problem never went away it just got worse. I am constantly popping tiny wax balls from under my skin. I have a weird odor that i thought i would always have now because i had a baby or something. Sometimes I have a really thick mucus discharge that i have to pull out with toilet paper. And lastly I can't sleep through the night to save my life unless i take a dose of melatonin. The doctor never told me any of these side effects at least i would have known what was going on. This site and your posts helped me because i thought i was going CRAZY. and i thought that my marriage was just going to have to be the way that it was (unhappy with a side of no libido) because now we have a baby... coincidentally we also have Mirena. I'm getting it out ASAP I'm glad i'm not alone.

Hello all - I just wanted to say that when I had Mirena inserted, no one mentioned any negative side-effects. I have several friends who sing its praises - one of the main the reasons I got it. So after the birth of my third and last baby, I had it put in. I was fine for a while, but after about 5-6 months I noticed the greasy skin and acne (even under my arms! Sorry if TMI!), weight gain around my waste and nagging anxiety and depression. I took Tryptophan at night to sleep, or I probably would have had insomnia, but nothing would help the stubborn anxiety/depression. I went to three diff. doctors including an allergist to get everything tested. I was all-good except now I know I'm allergic to dust - who isn't!? So my last resort was to take the Mirena out. I was all prepared for a fight w/ the gyn to have it removed, but she said actually a lot of women have the same complaints?!?! Really wish I'd known this BEFORE I had it put it. It's been five days now and the bleeding has started and I'm pretty tired. Feels like a regular period. I have had glimses of my old self, but am not completely there yet. Hoping to see a full recovery soon. And I too think that just because you're having a great experience with Mirena, doesn't mean it's for everyone and that websites like this one are a joke. Everyone's bodies are different. I just think you just have to weigh your options and be fully informed before you decide.

I have had my Mirena removed since last Wed. 8/12/09. I started what seemed to be a period on Friday and only went a couple of days. Not heavy at all. I can totally tell something has changed. I have more energy, I sleep better at night, no night sweats, my aches are almost gone. It was getting where it hurt to walk by legs ached so bad, but now it doesn't. I haven't really experienced any crash so I'm thankful for that. My hair is not coming out as bad. I seriously can't believe that the birth control Mirena was causing all of my health issues. I can't believe that any woman would want to go through this. It seems to me that more than less are having these terrible side effects due to Mirena which tells me that it has not been properly tested before being put out there for us to be the guenie pigs. I am so happy to have that removed and my life is finally getting back to normal.
Good luck to all of you.

Oh, that last post reminded me of another side-effect- My husband and I always called it "the Jimmy legs" I have no idea why that name came about but when I would try to sleep my legs just felt jumpy- hard to describe but I wasn't moving them but they sort of felt like they were moving inside. It's weird, I would relate it to the restless leg syndrome that you see on TV ads but it happened all the time while I had the Mirena in- it's gone now that the IUD is gone

i had twins this march, 2009, and i had to weight about 2 months to get my mirena put in. i was consistently losing weight before hand.. it was great i wasn't hungry i had energy to exercise, but i also couldn't weight to get it put in, the thought of getting pregnant anytime soon scared me so i chose mirena at first it was great.. no refilling no periods just some cramping ... but then i started feeling tired alllll the time.. i mean all teh time.. before i could stay up easily with my new born twins , could go a whole day with only a couple hours of sleep.. now im exhausted.. its strange.. and i eat like im pregnant again. i hate it.. i cant wait to get it out. im going to get back on the pill.. i had energy when i was on the pill i might have been hungry but i had energy to work out.. i need this out so i can be myself again.. anyone else
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I had Mirena put in a month ago and also have been so tired, I was trying to figure out why am I so tired, when I have sex it feels wrong it hurts I feel like my vagina has a constant pain and bleeding. I am having a hard time losing weight I feel so bloated, and fat, and for me that is not normal I am glad I took time to read this. I have been so lazy I have not been cleaning my home, I work nights and no matter how much I sleep I feel like I can not get enough. My body feels achy all the time and I feel really bad I started having a lot of headaches, dizzy spells, and my period will not go away. I been bleeding since I got it this is not normal. thinks for all the comments I will be sure to call my dr. to get it removed I thought it was just me getting old, and lazy.

I had the Mirena inserted in November 2007 after having my third child. The first 6 months I had bleeding everyday. The insertion was painless. For the last year I have been trying to figure out what is wrong with me. I really didn't pay much attention to it until about 4 months ago when I started having anxiety attacks. I figured it was due to stress of a new job. I have been so tired that I can barely function. I have no interest in even leaving the house. It is even hard to come to work everyday because I am exhausted. I don't sleep well. I wake up soaking wet from sweat. I have a lot of joint pay in my legs, arms, and hands. My arms stay numb most of the time. I too experience the moodiness and I can sit and cry over nothing. I have experienced hair loss since having the Mirena. As far as sex drive it is nonexistent, even if it was there I would be too tired to even do anything. I have blurry vision sometimes. I have gained so much weight it isn't funny. I thought maybe my thyroid was out of wack so I went to the doctor for blood work. My blood work came back great. After researching some more I found this site and apparently Mirena is the cause of my problems also. I go to my GYN doctor tomorrow for my annual exam and I am going to request that the Mirena be removed. I have three children 15,10, and 22 months so I can not live my life like this. I am glad that I found this website and I plan to pass it along for those women that are having problems that they may be blaming other things for. If you have the Mirena you definitely need to read this site. I'll keep everyone posted once the Mirena is removed.

Hi all,
I want you all to know that if you are having any of the symptoms here that you should seriously consider having your IUD removed! Taking it out after almost 4 years was the best thing that happened to me! As a mom of 4, I have used my share of birth control methods and although after the 9 months of heavy bleeding stopped, I had no more periods, that was the only good side affect. Over time things in my body changed and I didn't know that they were related to my IUD until I did some research here before my annual exam. The morning after I had it removed was the 1st morning in 4 years that I didn't wake up with back pain. Since I have had it removed, I sleep better, have no more headaches (before I had about 4-7 a week), my joints don't hurt anymore, my moods are more regular (before I was having episodes where I felt like I needed to kill someone I was so enraged over nothing), I am not so tired all the time (after I had it put in, I felt so tired all the time that I couldn't function.....I actually started drinking coffee daily to help), like I said my back stopped hurting, and so many more things. When I had my follow-up with my OBGYN she felt bad that my experience was so miserable. I reassured her that it wasn't her fault and some people have had ok experiences with it, I just wasn't one of them. We decided that taking it out was a good decision for me and left it at that! I hope that you have a better experience than I did, but if not, I strongly recommend you have it removed....you will appreciate feeling like yourself again!

K.